The Inner Game
by 0rth3us
Summary: Fourth year fic. Hagrid never came to acquire Harry on that fateful Halloween night. Instead, Remus Lupin claimed responsibility of Harry and gave him a home and a family that was far from normal. Now entering his fourth year at Hogwarts, Harry desires a peaceful year to prepare for his inevitable confrontation with Voldemort. Unfortunately, Voldemort had other plans in mind.
1. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Hey Everyone!

I am not really a fan of doing multiple author's notes so this will just be a basic outline of the story (without giving to much away) and a few other housekeeping notes to see if you are actually interested in reading it.

Think of the first several chapters as a really long prologue. The time skip will be rather clear in where the prologue has ended and the real story begins. If you are debating about whether it is still the prologue, it's still the prologue. The main focus is on Harry's fourth year.

This story will probably be a pairing with Harry and Fleur though it could easily go in another direction (even no pairing at all *gasps in horror*) so take that statement with a grain of salt.

I will attempt to update this fortnightly. However, that may change based on different events going on in my life and whether or not my muse decides to flare up/run away and hide.

This story will probably finish at around 120,000-150,000 word range with a possibility of it going over but not by much. I plan to complete this story by June if possible.

This point is extra important so I want to make it very clear. Therefore, I am going to use the handy things we writers call bold letters. **DebsTheSlytherinSnapeFan gave me permission to use her idea for moon wolves in this story. If anyone leaves a comment or pm's me about plagiarizing the moon wolves I will refer them to this comment.**

This story will use italics to denote thoughts, French, and animal speech (which will be explained throughout the story). I will make it clear which is being used in each circumstance but you may need to pay attention to not confuse the two.

If you have any ideas or comments, feel free to leave a review. I love to read them, and I know how insightful the fanfiction community can be. If you decide to leave a flame, that is your business. I will simply delete the review and report you to the moderators.

I will be placing quotes at the beginning of the chapters. Sometimes they will have something important to do with the chapter and other times they will only be connected by a vague reference. These are just a fun little addition to the story.

Finally, a more personal note, I hope you enjoy the story. This story largely grew out of something to do during class so that I wouldn't be bored to tears, but it opened me up to a whole new world of expressing myself. Namely writing. I hope you enjoy the story and that you can learn something about yourself as I know that I have and will through writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I making any profit off this story. Those both rightly belong to JKR. Any ideas in this story that are not expressly credited to others through the author's notes, however, belong to me.

Now, without further adieu, I give you _The Inner Game_.

* * *

"It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf."

\- Thomas Fuller

* * *

"No Albus, we can't—"

"Minerva, what other options do we have? The boy's parents are dead and his guardian is currently on his way to the Ministry of Magic for trial."

Minerva sighed and she looked at the baby that slept in her arms courtesy of a charm from Albus Dumbledore. He was only a little more than a year old and had already lost so much. She said, "There must be somewhere else we can take him Albus. Anywhere is better than those wretched muggles."

Dumbledore was about to respond when a sharp crack resounded throughout the otherwise quiet Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore and McGonagall immediately drew their wands searching for the cause of the noise. Albus stepped protectively in front of Harry fearing for another attack that would try to finish what Voldemort had started. The sound of crunching gravel filled the air as a gaunt figure began to materialize out of the shadows of that Halloween night.

"Identify yourself," Dumbledore threatened.

"Albus? Minerva? What's going on? My charm told me that the wards were destroyed around Godric's Hallow." The figure asked as he warily approached the pair, wand in his right hand, his eyes roved over the smoldering remains of Godric's Hallow and widened when they came to rest on Harry lying in Minerva's arms.

As McGonagall heard his voice, she peered closer at the figure. His face becoming more illuminated the closer he approached them. Once he was close enough to be recognized under the lamplight, a myriad of emotions flooded through her, and she gave outlet to them all with her words as she said, "Remus, is that you?"

After hearing his Headmistresses' emotion laden revelation of the figure in front of them, Dumbledore cautiously lowered his wand. He allowed the Remus to continue his approach. As he came closer, Dumbledore noticed how weak the man truly looked. His emaciated figure barely seemed to fill the threadbare clothing he wore. Only after he rested his eyes on the man's face did he see his former student's pale complexion. Dumbledore stiffened and quickly looked up. Once he saw the heavy cloud cover, he relaxed again, but he held his wand in a tight grip as Remus came nearer.

During Dumbledore's appraisal, Remus walked up to the pair and reached out his hand to stroke the baby's face. He stood up and turned to look at Dumbledore. His eyes reflected the questions burning in his mind and his fear of the answer as he stared at the man. To answer Remus's gaze, Dumbledore simply nodded and said one word, "Voldemort."

Even though Remus expected the answer, he recoiled as if struck when the name left Dumbledore's lips. Grief began to fill his heart as he spoke the question he dreaded even more then the last, "James and Lily. . .?"

"Slain defending their son." Remus let out a choked sob. Dumbledore continued slowly, "James didn't stand a chance. Voldemort himself came tonight and slew him. Lily was upstairs with Harry and sacrificed herself to try to save him. Voldemort killed her as well and then turned to the boy." Once Dumbledore said this, he paused and looked as if he was attempting to solve a deep mystery. "It appears that Harry was able to defeat him. The killing curse that Voldemort has used for so long seemed to have failed him tonight. For when he cast it on the boy, I can only theorize, it rebounded and slew the caster."

At this McGonagall started, "Albus, you can't possibly believe that. There is no way Harry can possibly perform that kind of magic."

"What does it matter whether or not Harry had access to the magic, James and Lily are dead!" Remus said bellowing the last word. Remus could count on both of his hands the number of people he considered friends. His lycanthropy made it extremely difficult to build lasting relationships. Now his lonely world just became even more isolated than it ever had been before. As he was bemoaning his poor fate, his eyes rested on Harry's sleeping form and a wave of guilt came over him. He thought, " _Here I am whining about my miserable fate when Harry has lost his parents and his home because of a war that he knows nothing about. I am not the only one who lost someone this night."_ Remus, disgusted with himself, turned to Dumbledore, who seemed to be about to speak, and thought, " _I will grieve later. Harry needs me right now and I will not let him down._ "

"Remus, I know that this is hard for you but there is more."

" _More? How can there possibly be more after all this?"_ Remus thought to himself.

"Godric's Hallow was under the Fidelius Charm, which makes it nigh impossible for them to be discovered while they were here. Did you know who the secret keeper was?"

A claw of ice seemed to grip Remus' heart as he realized what Dumbledore was insinuating. _"No, no it can't be. He would never betray them._ " "Sirius," he choked out, knees beginning to shake as he said his friend's name.

Dumbledore gave him a sad nod and said, "Yes, Sirius Black was the secret keeper of Godric's Hallow. Only he could have given Voldemort the location of the Potters. It seems that he has gone after the rest of the Black family in following the dark arts."

Remus' knees partially buckled as he visibly struggled to remain upright. His already pale face now seemed to resemble that of a ghost. When he looked up, his eyes found Minerva's, and he saw pain there. Yet, she could not hold his gaze for long. Instead of the warm brown eyes she had grown accustomed to seeing over his years at Hogwarts, she saw a grief that threatened to consume the man. She reached out a comforting hand and placed it on his shoulder.

Dumbledore after watching the exchange continued in a soft voice, "There is still more my friend." Remus stared hard at Dumbledore and, after steeling himself, motioned for him to continue. "After Sirius informed Voldemort about the Potters, he hunted down Peter Pettigrew and destroyed him. Twelve muggles nearby were killed in the explosion, and all that remained of Pettigrew was a finger." As Remus heard this, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. He looked up to the sky and let out a mournful howl. He remained on his knees looking at the sky with tears streaming down his face.

As the broken man knelt there, the death of his friends brought to his mind the dark memories he tried so hard to bury. He remembered the pain of Fenrir Grayback biting him and his first transformation into a werewolf. He remembered his family's fear of him as he transformed each month, retaining more and more of the wolf each time. He remembered awakening out of a transformation once with his family staring at him in horror as he looked around and saw the damage he had caused because he hadn't escaped to the woods in time. His thoughts continued in this way remembering his horrors in vivid detail until his eyes rested upon Harry's sleeping form. Upon seeing the young boy, his thoughts froze. After a time, he thought, _"All my life, I have run from my pain. I have been a coward. It isn't just about me anymore though, and I refuse to let James' son be given to someone who won't care for him."_ Remus stood to his feet, appearing stronger than when he had arrived. He looked hard at Dumbledore and said, "What will happen to Harry?"

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, and she shook her head disapprovingly. He said, "Before her death, Lily cast blood wards upon Harry. For those wards to remain active, he must live with someone with Lily's blood. Because her parents have died, the only remaining person who shares Lily's blood is Petunia Dursley. Harry will live with the muggles for his own protection."

Remus stared at Dumbledore and slowly shook his head. "No, Albus. I will not allow Harry to go there."

McGonagall said, "I agree Albus we cannot allow the boy to go there. They are muggles of the worst sort."

"Do you think that I want to send the boy there?" Dumbledore retorted. "He has nowhere else to go. I cannot take care of him for I am far too busy with my duties."

"What about a family adopting Harry, Albus? Many wizarding families will be willing to adopt the boy, especially since he is a Potter and defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"That is precisely the problem Minerva. If Harry were to go into a family that adopted him because of his fame or because of his heritage, he would no doubt let his fame go to his head."

Remus stared at Dumbledore incredulously, "You would send a boy into a family that would hate him just to keep the fame from going to his head?"

"I am not certain the family would hate him my dear Remus. We do not know exactly the kind of people they are. I am sure that if I left a note explaining the situation, they would accept Harry into their home."

McGonagall was about to respond when Remus shouted, "A NOTE! Albus are you daft? You would drop the boy on the doorstep of the person who Lily said despised anything to do with magic with a passion and disowned Lily as her sister with only a note!" McGonagall reached out to calm Remus shooting him a glare as Harry stirred slightly. Remus looked at Harry and restrained himself for the boy's sake.

McGonagall said, "Albus, I would rather have Harry be a pompous brat then send him to the suffering of the Dursleys." Remus slowly nodded his agreement.

Dumbledore replied, "It is not that simple. If Harry were to be an orphan in the wizarding world, do you know who the closest blood relative would be to the Potters? Harry's great- grandmother was Dorea Black. Do I need to remind you of the only remaining Black that is not in prison or banishment?"

A look of understanding fell on Remus' face. "Narcissa Malfoy," he said.

"Precisely. Do you honestly believe that Lucius would not immediately try to adopt Harry once he discovered that his family had first claim on the boy? Even without that, he may be successful simply because of the influence he holds over Cornelius but with it there is no doubt in my mind that Harry would be raised a Malfoy. I am unwilling to hand the boy over to Lucius under any circumstances."

The three fell into silence as Dumbledore finished speaking. Remus looked down at Harry sleeping with a small furrow in his brow and in that moment the answer was made clear to him. He looked up at the other two and with conviction in his voice said, "I shall look after Harry Albus."

Dumbledore eyes widened, and his jaw dropped a fraction. Remus glanced at McGonagall to see that she had a similar reaction to his claim. Dumbledore recovered first and said uncertainly, "But Remus what of your condition? Surely you cannot be naïve enough to think that it won't affect the boy. Even if you can find a way around your condition, there is still nothing to guarantee Harry's safety."

"I know of a place where my condition will not be of any danger to Harry, and I can guarantee that no one would think to look for him there."

McGonagall said, "Remus where could a place like this possibly exist?"

"I would take him into the Forbidden Forest."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as realization struck him and he said, "Surely you can't possibly mea—"

Albus Dumbledore was interrupted for the second time that night as Remus interjected, "Yes that is exactly where I plan to take him."

"But Remus, think of the danger. What if they don't accept him? What about the dangers that live in the forest? There are too many risks Remus even if you have known them since your time at the school. Harry is too valuable to lose to the forest."

"Is that risk greater then Harry being raised by muggles that hate everything he stands for? Is the risk greater than him being raised to serve the very man that killed his parents? What other options do we have Albus?"

McGonagall exasperatedly said, "Will either of you two tell me what you are talking about?"

Dumbledore responded, "I am sorry Minerva but the fewer people who know where Harry goes, especially if it is a place like this, the better." Minerva sighed but understood his reasoning. Even while she would never betray Harry willingly, there were ways for someone to steal the information from her.

"Very well Albus. It seems that my usefulness in the current situation has come to an end. I will return to Hogwarts and inform Hagrid that he does not need to pick up the boy. While I do not expect to know everything, I do expect to be kept appraised of the situation." Once she had finished speaking, she handed Harry to Dumbledore, took a step back, pulled out her wand, and disappeared with the sharp crack that always accompanied an apparation.

As Remus watched the empty space that McGonagall just occupied, he heard Albus say softly, "You honestly believe that this is the best option for Harry?"

"I cannot think of a better option. No one would even consider that Harry would be hidden there, and if he is accepted, then he has gained a family that would die to protect him."

"Will he be accepted Remus? They are rather wary of outsiders after all."

"I believe he will be accepted with my help. After all I am the first outsider they have accepted, so they trust that I will not bring in someone who will harm them."

After Remus had finished speaking, he looked at Dumbledore and saw something that surprised him. The old man was weary. Remus saw all the fatigue, pain, and grief that Dumbledore kept hidden behind his grandfatherly façade suddenly break through. Dumbledore raised his hand to his face, took off his glasses, and massaged his temples. He let out a weary sigh, replaced his glasses, and gave Remus a stare that seemed to pierce him to his soul. Remus stared straight back at him knowing that Harry's future depended on him receiving Dumbledore's approval. It seemed to Remus that every one of his intentions to take Harry was being dissected and analyzed. After what seemed like an interminably long period of time, but in actuality was only a few minutes, Dumbledore looked away towards Harry and then back towards Remus.

"Remus, I trust you to take care of Harry. He is arguably the most important person in magical Britain right now."

Remus looked at Albus shocked that he was actually allowing him to take Harry. As he thought about what Albus just said, he looked at him questioningly and said, "I know that Harry is important to me and you, but how is he the most important person in magical Britain?"

Dumbledore sighed and, if possible, looked even older than he had before. He looked around the lot quickly and then spoke in a hushed tone to Remus, "What I am about to tell you is one of my greatest secrets and quite possibly the reason for Voldemort's defeat tonight. I do not part with this secret lightly, and I am only telling you because you are going to be responsible for Harry's well being. You must swear to me that you will tell no one else what I am about to tell you."

"What about Harry? Will I be able to tell him?"

Dumbledore looked like he was in the middle of an internal debate. After a short time, Dumbledore said, "Yes, you can tell Harry. I just ask that you break it to him gently as telling him will change his entire life even more than it has already been changed tonight."

Remus nodded and then said, "I swear to tell no one of what you are about to tell me except for Harry."

Dumbledore raised his wand and muttered a quiet, " _Muffliato_." After he waited for a moment, he slowly began to speak, "I am about to tell you the reason why the Potters were attacked personally by Voldemort tonight. Four years ago, I interviewed Sybil Trelawney for the Divination post at Hogwarts. After the interview ended, she became entranced in a prophetic state. This was the prophecy she gave:

 _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. . ._

 _Born to those who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. . ._

 _And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. . ._

 _And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. . ._

 _The one with the power to vanquish the dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies. . ._

When Dumbledore finished speaking, Remus looked at Harry in shock. He thought over the prophecy for a second and then said, "Albus, why does this matter? Isn't He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named dead?"

If possible, Dumbledore's mood appeared to turn even more somber. "I could not find his body Remus. I searched throughout the entire property and used every bit of my knowledge of magic, but I could not find his body. I did, however, sense a strong trace of dark magic in Harry's room and in his scar," he said softly as he pointed to Harry's forehead.

Remus knelt down and examined the scar that was bright red. He said, "What does this mean Albus?"

Dumbledore paused and, looking as if he had seen death himself, said, "It means that Voldemort may not be dead."

"How can this be Albus?" Remus spluttered.

"I have a few theories, but even I have only the vaguest of ideas. Mere speculation would not help us right now." Dumbledore said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"If what you say is true, then Harry and I need to go," Remus glanced at the clouds, "now."

"Very well Remus. I will help in whatever way I can. Promise me you will keep the boy safe."

"He will be safe with me Albus. I swear it." After Remus finished speaking, Dumbledore appeared to relax. Dumbledore leaned over and handed Harry to Remus. After Harry was situated in his arms, Remus gave Dumbledore a nod and pulled out his wand. A sharp crack resounded through the street and Dumbledore stood alone. Dumbledore gave one final look around Godric's Hallow. He pulled out his wand and whispered a few words. A shimmery dome began to materialize over the property. After the dome solidified, it faded away. Dumbledore twisted his wand and disappeared. The only evidence that anyone had been there that evening was some mildly disturbed gravel underneath a lamppost.

Remus and Harry appeared deep in the Forbidden Forest, and he was met by a familiar sight. The trees around them rose high into the air with branches beginning far out of the reach of either of the pair. They seemed to be standing in the middle of a small stream of fog that flowed through that forest and hid the ground from Remus' view. After standing still for a few seconds, Remus made another observation. Silence surrounded them. To others this would have seemed eerie or frightening. It would have caused them to draw their wands and mutter, " _Lumos,"_ in hushed tones. They would have walked forward cautiously, fearing for an attack from any direction.

Remus was not like the others. He knew exactly where he was, and he knew that the creatures of the forest, no matter how brave or vile, treated this part of the forest like it was struck with the plague. Only the foolish creatures came here, and the few that ventured here did not often return. Rather than frighten Remus, this knowledge gave him courage to keep going. He knew that he would at the least receive an audience with the leader but beyond that, he was unsure.

After he gave the forest a cursory look, Remus, with his werewolf-enhanced eyes, spied a familiar marking on the side of a tree. He set off in this direction quickly while he muttered something about needing to hurry before it was too late. As he briskly walked in the direction that he knew would lead him to his goal, memories of his times spent here came rushing to the forefront of his mind. As he passed by a rock formation, one particular memory forced its way past the rest.

" _Come on Padfoot! We have to get Moony off this rock," Prongs shouted at the block dog on the other side of the rock._

 _Padfoot and Prongs jumped at the same moment and flew through the air towards Moony who was standing on top of the chest-height rock. After they left the ground, Moony leaned back as far as his werewolf body would allow and ducked underneath them. He looked up just in time to see Padfoot get a hoof to the face from Prongs. His eyes followed the pair's trajectory and saw the pair end up in heap on the ground._

 _The sound of a mirthful howl filled the air, and the werewolf lay rolling around on the rock immobilized by his laughter. His laughter caused him to roll off the rock and land next to the pair that was rapidly trying to disentangle themselves. One look at them, and Moony let loose another mirthful howl. Padfoot's paw had somehow gotten lodged in Prong's antlers. After watching them finally free themselves, a small buzzer went off in their heads._

 _The three quickly looked up at the rock, and Padfoot looked smugly at Moony saying, "It appears that you didn't win this time Moony."_

 _Moony, completely unperturbed by the result, agreed and said, "It appears that way. Though, it was completely worth watching you two flea-bags hit each other."_

 _Prongs bristled and took a quick step away from Padfoot saying, "I am not a flea-bag. That mangy mutt though has enough for the three of us."_

" _I fall asleep one time in the forest. . ." Padfoot muttered to the others like this wasn't the first time that they had used this against him._

 _Moony took a glance over at the rock again and saw the final member of the Mauraders quietly resting on the rock. He gave a grunt to his companions who were bickering over how many fleas Padfoot actually had and pointed to the rat on the rock. He said, "It appears that we are all the losers for this round as Wormtail here seems to have been on the rock when the round ended. All hail king Wormtail," he finished saying as he began to mock bow to the rat._

As the memory faded and Remus' thoughts returned to the present, a new wave of grief threatened to overcome him. _"It was a simpler time back then,"_ he thought. The friends' greatest fear had been that someone would discover James, Sirius, and Peter had become illegal animagii to help Remus during his nights as a werewolf. It had taken several months of hard work, but they had finally succeeded in the animagus transformation. James had become a graceful stag, Sirius a black dog, and Peter a rather timid rat.

All of the time that they had spent together and the deep bond that they had supposedly shared was now shattered. Sirius had seen to that. In one night, Remus had lost the three that he considered closer than any other. As he continued to dwell on these thoughts, his legs grew weaker, and his knees began to buckle. He went to move his arm to wipe the tears away that were beginning to form in his eyes when he found that he couldn't move his arm away from where it was.

" _Harry. . .,"_ He thought as he looked down at the figure resting in his arms. The boy needed him. He could not be weak and lose himself in his grief. If Harry were not here, he knew that was exactly what he would have done, just like when he had lost his father. Yet, Harry was here. Not only was he here, but Remus was also responsible for his protection.

Remus gave one last look at the rock that held memories of a better time where he had hope for a future, friends who would stand by him, and a place that he could call home. Remus turned away from the rock and continued his walk through the forest. _"That life is dead. Sirius killed it tonight,"_ He thought, _"But Harry is alive, and I will not let Sirius or that blasted self-proclaimed Dark Lord take Harry away from me like they took everything else."_

Remus quickened his pace and walked for about a quarter of an hour through the forest. Soon, with his heightened senses, he began to hear several pairs of padded feet walking around him in the forest. _"I am close,"_ he thought and after a quick glance at the sky that filtered through the branches, " _And not a moment too soon."_ The feet seemed to draw closer to him and now he could tell that they had him surrounded except for the direction that he was walking.

As Remus neared his destination, the owners of the hidden feet in the forest began to reveal themselves and walk with him in the open. First, they came out from the shadows on his right and then the tree line on his left. They looked exactly like he remembered them. He did not stare too long for they were not the one that he intended to speak with and he knew that he possessed only minutes until his transformation. Moments later, he entered into a clearing where the number of those surrounding him swelled from five to around forty.

Remus gave the one that stood on the top of a rock formation on the other side of the clearing a look and then pointed to Harry. It pointed its head towards a tree nearby itself, and Remus conjured a blanket to wrap Harry in and placed the baby at the base of it. One of the creatures detached itself from those watching and laid down next to the baby. This action comforted Remus and allayed some of his worries rather than alarm him. After making sure of Harry's present safety, he looked back up at the one on the rock formation. It seemed to be prepared to wait. _"They always were rather smart,"_ he thought to himself wryly.

As Remus prepared himself for his transformation, namely removing any clothes that would be shredded when he turned, he realized the irony of the moment. He thought, " _From the moment I was bitten, I have hated this lycanthropy. I have dreaded every full moon even when James and the others were there to help me. Now after they have betrayed me or been killed, I am actually desiring the transformation because_ i _t is my only chance to help Harry._ " He let out a hollow laugh the resounded throughout the clearing. For the first time that he could remember, he willingly left the shelter of the shadows and strode out into the center of the clearing. The time had come.

The man stood in front of those assembled and as he stood there, the moonlight finally broke through the clouds and rested on his frame. The moment the light touched his skin, he fell to his knees and let out a soft moan. His skin seemed to ripple and change all over his body as both quiet and loud popping noises resounded through the air. His nose and mouth elongated to form a snout, and his hair receded leaving him almost bald. The hands that covered his face grew claws, and the skin darkened. Once the transformation ceased, he stood up. As he stood, his ribs pressed against the skin of his chest allowing one to count them individually should they desire. The brown werewolf stood in the center of the clearing and turned to stare at the creature on the rock.

After the transformation finished, the creature stood up allowing the werewolf a full view of itself. When standing, the top of its head reached roughly the shoulders of a grown man. It leapt gracefully down from the outcropping, and its slick silver fur glistened in the moonlight. The common person would and had assumed in the past that this creature was simply an overgrown wolf. One look at its eyes would prove them wrong. The eyes revealed an intelligence that was far greater than any common animal. This creature was a moon wolf. A human wolf hybrid conceived when two werewolves mated during a full moon. It was a defiance of nature. Even the laws of magic should have submitted to the impossibility of its creation. Yet, the moon wolf was conceived with magic flowing through its veins.

" _Ah Remus, what brings you back to the forest? I doubt it is simply to check up on the old pack,"_ the moon wolf said.

" _It has been a long time Alpha. Many moons have passed since I have seen you,"_

" _Why are you here Remus?"_ Alpha said ending the small talk and taking a few steps closer to the werewolf.

" _You never were one to talk idly. Very well, I need shelter for the boy and me. A dark wizard killed his parents tonight but died while attempting to kill Harry. He is alone and in great danger, and this is the only place where no one would ever look for him."_

" _You would bring that threat here!"_ Alpha snarled, _"You think that I will risk my pack over the life of a boy?"_

" _There is no threat if no one knows that he is here. Only I and Dumbledore know that he is here right now,"_ the werewolf replied eyeing the moon wolf.

Alpha paused for a moment then seemed to come to a decision. He commanded, _"Bring me the boy Remus."_

The werewolf walked over to the tree where he had laid the boy. As he approached, he stared at the mother wolf that had laid near Harry. She arose from around the baby, and Remus carefully picked up Harry. _'Thank Merlin that the other wolves are here to calm me down tonight,'_ Remus thought to himself, as he gently carried Harry to Alpha. The werewolf suppressed a shudder as it thought about what could happen if he should lose control tonight.

When Remus lowered the babe in swaddling cloth to Alpha, the moon wolf stared at Harry's face as if searching for something. Suddenly he jumped back and hissed at the werewolf, _"What is that mark on his forehead? Evil magic rests there."_

Remus looked closely at the scar unable to sense anything strange about it. He looked back at the wolf and said, _"Tonight was the first time I have seen it. The boy was found with this scar in his house tonight."_

" _For all your arrogance, you wizards still know nothing about magic. That scar is one of the purest forms of evil I have ever come across,"_ the wolf said as he came closer to the baby again.

" _Enough. We can solve this later. Will you allow us to stay here?"_ Remus said while he drew Harry up to his chest.

The wolf's gaze shifted from the boy's forehead to the werewolf, and he saw the desperation in the werewolf's eyes. Alpha took a few steps away from the pair and surveyed the rest of the pack that had gathered there tonight. His eyes rested on one wolf for a short while before he growled and returned his gaze to Remus. He said, _"Very well, you and the boy can rema—,"_

" _No! I will not allow it!"_ A wolf snarled as he jumped out from among the trees. _"This boy will only bring danger to the pack. He cannot be allowed to stay."_

" _That is not your decision to make Beta. The Alpha has already decided,"_ the werewolf shouted back.

Beta gave a questioning look at Alpha, who nodded in return. He said, _"Then I challenge you to fight for the boy's fate. If you are victorious, he stays, but if I defeat you, then you are banished from the pack."_

" _What are the terms of the fight?"_ Remus responded knowing that it was well within the Beta's right to issue the challenge.

Beta grinned menacingly and said, _"To the death."_

Remus froze. If he failed tonight, then Harry would be taken to the Dursleys. He shuddered at the thought of what those wretched people would do to Harry. He could not fail. Though he was a peaceful man, he thought, _'If I must kill for Harry sake, then so be it."_

He met Beta's gaze and replied, _"I accept."_ Walking over to the mother wolf that had watched over Harry before, he placed the baby near its fur and wrapped the blanket around him again. After ensuring Harry's safety, Remus walked back into the center of the clearing.

Alpha resumed his position upon the rock, looked at the two fighters, and said, _"I will honor the result of this fight. If Remus is slain, we will take Harry to Hogwarts and he will be the outsiders' problem. If Beta is slain, then Remus and Harry will join the pack."_ Arching his neck, Alpha howled into the night. The other moon wolves joined the call and soon the night reverberated with the sounds of their cries. The fight had begun.

Remus and Beta began to circle each other in the clearing. After a few moments, Beta suddenly lunged forward and closed the gap between the pair. His claws tore through the werewolf's left thigh and left a deep gash. Remus spun to retaliate but couldn't find the wolf. A sharp pain exploded in his calf, and he turned to see Beta retreating across the clearing.

" _This is going to be much easier than I thought,"_ the moon wolf taunted, _"You are not much of a threat without your wand wizard."_

Remus fell down to his knees because of the wounds on his legs. _"I can't win this fight,"_ he thought to himself, _"He is too fast for me and it has been only moments. I stand no chance against him in this state."_ Remus looked over at Harry and steeled his resolve. For the majority of his life he had fought this curse. Even on the nights when he had lost control and did not have the Wolfsbane, he had fought to control his mind during the transformations. Tonight, in the presence of the wolves, he had controlled himself and stopped the werewolf from taking control. Now, he did to do the very thing that he swore he would never do. He gave up control.

The werewolf stood up, seemingly unaware of the injuries it had just sustained. He looked at the moon and released an unearthly and guttural howl. It inhaled deeply the sweet scent of blood through its nose. Looking around, its vision on locked onto the wolf whose mouth was dripping red and charged.

When the werewolf came close, Beta dodged to the side and then launched through the air towards the werewolf. A claw struck it midflight and sent it flying into a tree. As Beta stood up and regained his bearings, he turned just in time to have another claw rake across his face and send him careening back into the clearing. Lunging forward blindly, Beta scored a gash across the chest of the werewolf who responded by kicking him in the stomach as he went by. He released a howl as he landed awkwardly on one of his legs. When he was trying to stand, the werewolf slammed into him at full speed. A sickening crack resounded through the clearing as Beta's leg was crushed underneath the body of the werewolf.

The werewolf stood over Beta and raked his claws over the wolf's chest. Blood flowed freely down the moon wolf's hide. As the werewolf howled triumphantly over its prey, its gaze caught on the baby that was sleeping near a she wolf.

Suddenly Remus regained control of his mind again. He groaned as the pain flooded his system from the injuries he received. When he looked down, he was horrified to see Beta's body and his claws covered in blood. Feeling nauseous, he looked around the clearing to see looks of sadness of the faces of the gathered wolves.

" _What are you waiting for?"_ a voice croaked out from beneath him, _"Finish it already."_

Remus' gaze returned to the red wolf beneath him and his revulsion grew. Quickly averting his gaze, he looked at the gathered wolves a second time and, coming to a decision, said, _"No, I won't."_

A weak snarl could be heard from Beta then he said, _" _You coward. Either you kill me or my injuries will take my life. I would rather die by the claw than by bleeding out on the forest floor."__

Remus haltingly took a close look at the wolf beneath him and said, _"These injuries won't kill you. They are not deep enough. Your body will heal with time."_

" _If you will not kill me, then leave this place. I will not yield to you werewolf."_

Remus' gaze hardened at those words. He bent down, grabbed Beta by the throat, and held him so that he could see Harry. _"Are you so determined to deprive your pack mate and children of their father? This boy lost his family tonight. I will not be the cause of more death this day. Yield Beta."_

The wolf in his claws let out a choking sound. Remus quickly lowered and placed him on the ground. Looking towards Harry and his pack mate, Beta seemed to be waging a mental war with himself. After a few moments, he turned back to Remus and softly said, _"I . . . I yield."_ Stunned, Remus' own thoughts on killing Beta came to a halt. Remus looked at Alpha who was walking over to the pair.

" _Did you yield Beta?"_ Alpha said as he knelt over his second in command.

" _Yes, I yield. The werewolf and the boy can stay,"_ he said slowly as if each word was poison.

Alpha stood up fully, looking regal, and said, _"Then so it shall be. Remus already bears the marks of being a member of the pack, but Harry has not yet received his."_

" _Surely you don't mean to mark a baby?"_ Remus asked.

" _Not in the way that you received yours, no. Do not worry old friend. He won't feel a thing."_

Remus and Alpha walked over to where Harry was still sleeping. _"Thank Merlin for Albus' sleeping charm,"_ Remus thought. The mother wolf looked pleadingly at Alpha who nodded in response. She quickly left Harry alone in the blankets, darted over to Beta, and started licking his wounds. Remus began to reach to uncover Harry from the blankets, but, noticing his bloody claws, thought better of it.

Alpha slowly maneuvered the blanket with his snout until Harry's face lay uncovered under the moonlight. He then gently picked up the baby in his mouth and carried him over to the center of the clearing. Standing over Harry, he arched his neck and howled into the night. The wolves surrounding the pair joined in with his call.

This howl was not a howl that wizard kind has been privy too before. It was not a howl of hunting nor fighting nor any other kind that has oft been heard. This howl was filled with the essence of the moon wolves, and as each wolf added its voice, it grew in strength. The howl morphed into a song of magic that reverberated through the clearing.

As the howls ebbed and flowed for several minutes, the air began to shimmer throughout the clearing as the magic coalesced. Suddenly the pinnacle of the song was reached and Alpha touched his snout to Harry's forehead. _"Our gift to you. To help you with what is to come,"_ he said.

The bright red scar that Harry had entered the clearing with had changed. The red line had faded and a silver sheen took its place. As Alpha pulled his head away the rest of the wolves, save Beta and his pack mate, surrounded the baby to see their new pack mate.

Remus stayed back and watched the scene unfold trying to assure himself that this had been the correct decision and that he did not make a grievous mistake by taking Harry.

* * *

A/N: Bonus points to anyone who can guess the inspiration for the ending scene.


	2. Running with the Wolves

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I making any profit off this story. Those both rightly belong to JKR. Any ideas in this story that are not expressly credited to others through the author's notes, however, belong to me.

* * *

"Ohana means family. Family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten."

\- Lilo Pelekai

* * *

" _The last few years have been good to us,"_ Remus thought to himself as he watched Harry wrestle with one of the wolves. Harry dove at the other cub, _"They seem a bit large to be cubs though,"_ Remus thought as he watched Harry land with a squeal of delight on top of the ball of fur. The cub, _"Toddler?"_ Remus thought searching for the right term, fell beneath the mass of the scrawny five year old and remained panting underneath him too tired to continue.

Its response made sense as this spring was abnormally hot, possibly reaching some record according to the muggles. Harry had responded by doing the normal thing any seven-year old would do when faced with the heat, he had removed any of his clothes that he deemed were, in his own words, stupid. The cubs, _"Teens? No they are far too young to be teens,"_ Remus mused, did not have this luxury and were suffering in the heat wave. Harry took full advantage of the situation and sat on top of the, _"Adolescent! That's the word I am looking for,"_ Remus thought with a triumphant grin settling on his face, adolescent wolf.

Harry's own grin mirrored that of Remus' as he looked down at his throne and gave it a poke in the side with which it growled lazily in response. "Come on Damian," Harry said as he poked the wolf in the side again, "Let's keep playing." The wolf responded with another lazy growl and tried to roll over but failed miserably. "What do you mean you are too tired?" Harry indignantly asked, "We haven't been playing for that long."

"Actually Harry you two have been playing for almost half an hour now," Remus said with a grin as he stepped out of the shade of the tree into the clearing that he had fought in six years ago.

"Half an hour!" Harry shouted, "But, but, but that's impossible! There is no way it could have been that long!" he finished as he stammered out his response.

"Harry, what do I always tell you?" Remus said in a reprimanding tone.

Harry lowered his head and said in resigned voice, "If you are going to say something, say it once and move on. There is no need to repeat yourself."

"Exactly. You just said 'but' three times," Harry giggled when Remus said that. "What's so funny?" Remus asked.

"You just said 'butt'," Harry said through his giggles.

" _The humor of children,"_ Remus thought to himself as a wry grin crept onto his face. Deciding to indulge Harry a little more, he said, "That's right I did just say butt, and if you don't get your butt off of Damian, I am afraid that he might take a bite out of yours."

The adolescent wolf growled menacingly as Remus finished. Realizing he was in a very vulnerable situation, Harry made a rapid and strategic retreat to the safety of Remus' legs. Damian stood up and shook himself to remove the dirt that had accumulated on his fur while they were playing and looked at Harry. He gave a small snort in his direction and then trotted off towards the camp.

"I am not a coward! Come here Damian!" Harry shouted in response as he ran after the wolf. Remus shook his head and laughed at Harry's antics, which had become rather commonplace over the last few years. He looked around the clearing and with a resigned sigh began to pick up Harry's 'stupid' clothes that the house elves had made for him.

As he walked off after Harry, Remus reminisced, as he often did, over his life with the moon wolves. The first few weeks had been hard on Remus. The solitude wasn't the issue as he was used to it because he spent much of his life away from society due to the very thing that gained him the wolves' acceptance. However, he was not as accustomed to the solitude of being surrounded by others whether they be man or beast but being unable to communicate with them except on full moons. Coupled with the realization that Remus had little to no idea how to take care of a child, those first days were rough.

When Harry woke up the day after they arrived and began crying, Remus was at an utter loss for what to do. He remembered that Lily would sing to Harry when he cried to calm him down so Remus tried the same method. He shuddered as he remembered the aftermath of that failed endeavor. _"Never again,"_ he swore to himself as he always did whenever that memory happened to resurface. Unsure of how to stop Harry's crying, he did the only sensible thing that a twenty-one year old wizard would do with a child that he did not know how to take care of. He asked an extremely old man for parenting help.

Remus grinned as he remembered sending his patronus message to the headmaster. _"I wonder what the old man was thinking when my patronus appeared. He probably thought that something terrible had happened to Harry, or some other disaster had occurred,"_ he thought. Remus let out a chuckle as he remembered the actual message that he had sent to Dumbledore. Over the past few years, Remus had spent at least a few hours imagining the headmaster's response to his patronus saying, _"Do you know how to make a baby stop crying?"_

The headmaster's actual response, however, proved to be very helpful indeed. Not fifteen minutes after Remus sent the patronus, a house elf apparated into the clearing. _"That was. . . interesting to say the least,"_ he thought remembering how the wolves had reacted to the sudden appearance of the elf. Moments after it had appeared, an older wolf lunged from the trees to attack the unknown threat. The house elf, thankfully, was facing the wolf as it lunged so it disapparated with a shriek and reappeared on the other side of the clearing away from the wolf. By this point, the rest of the pack was aware of the commotion, and the males began to surround the frightened house elf.

They were about to attack the poor creature when Alpha barked a command at the assembled wolves stopping them from advancing. Remus quickly approached the elf that was shaking so much it could hardly stand. Once it saw him approach, it dropped the bundle of supplies it had held onto and promptly disapparated. Remus searched through the supplies and found, amongst other things, clothes and food for both him and the baby, several books on parenting, and a rather large bottle with a note attached. It read in Dumbledore's loopy penmanship, "This is Blitzen. He is here to assist you and Harry with any of your needs while you are living in the woods. He can provide you with food and clothing and most likely many of your other needs. Feel free to call on him in the future if you need anything. He is rather timid though so do try not to scare him," Remus rolled his eyes when he read that statement. "The lemon drops are my own addition. I think you will find that Harry will calm down once he eats one of them. Make sure not to feed him too many though, as that may cause him to develop a sweet tooth," the note finished.

" _Leave it to Dumbledore to worry more about Harry developing a sweet tooth than his safety,"_ Remus thought as he finished the note. He looked up and saw that Alpha was staring at him expectantly. Realizing that the moon wolf wanted an explanation, Remus said, "The house elf will appear every now and then to help Harry and me live out here. He is not a threat and no one will know that he is coming here as most wizards do not pay attention to house elves." Satisfied with the answer, Alpha barked at the wolves, and they disappeared back into the trees.

Remus let out a relieved sigh that he did not realizing he had been holding in as the wolves had dispersed. The lemon drops, he later found out, proved remarkably successful in rendering Harry's cries inert. _"Those candies are the greatest gift I have ever received,"_ Remus thought with a smile. A few years back he had asked Dumbledore about the ingredients of the confection to which the old man with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye merely shook his head and then proffered his bowl of mysterious sweets to Remus. While he didn't receive an answer from Dumbledore, Remus was smart enough to accept the gift and had used it liberally during Harry's baby and toddler stage.

After securing an adequate source of food and clothing for both of them, another issue soon became apparent. Remus soon realized that he was homeless. The first night Harry had been fawned over by the moon wolves and had slept very comfortably thanks to Dumbledore's sleeping charm and the surrounding warm pelt of a she-wolf. This situation could continue if needed in the future. However, even though Harry had been accepted into the pack officially and seemingly without opposition, aside from Beta obviously, Remus did not feel comfortable with Harry staying with the wolves at night unless there was no other option. Later, Remus grew more comfortable and trusting after he saw the way they treated Harry but in the early days, he was understandably protective.

With this decision in mind, Remus set about creating a home for Harry and himself. As he thought about how to build a home, Remus realized how woefully ignorant he was about the subject. Acknowledging his failings, he was about to summon another patronus when a thought popped into his head. "Blitzen!" Remus called out into the forest. A crack resounded through the woods, and a rather loud grunt and crashing sound immediately followed it. As soon as the poor house elf had appeared in the forest, it had flung itself at Remus for protection. Remus, still weak from his transformation and fight the previous evening, fell under the house elf's vicious assault.

The trembling house elf, realizing that he had just hurt his new master, quickly crawled off Remus and began to cry. Still slightly stunned from the sudden attack, Remus slowly realized what had occurred wincing as he sat up. At this, the house elf began to cry even more and threw itself on the ground. Unsure of what to do as the only contact Remus had ever had with a house elf had been at the Potter's Manor (who were far more mild-mannered than Blitzen), he reached out a hand and attempted a consoling pat on the elf's head. At the contact, the elf froze. Looking up at Remus' face, it suddenly began sobbing anew and threw itself back onto the ground.

Looking around for some form of help, Remus caught Alpha standing beneath some of the trees with something that looked eerily similar to a smirk on his face. A slight noise began to escape Alpha's throat, which the wolf quickly suppressed as he continued watching. Realizing that the wolf was laughing at him, Remus reddened. "Blitzen!" Remus shouted, "Stop crying and calm down! I already have one crying baby to deal with. I don't want a second." Blitzen immediately stopped his crying and slowly stood up.

"Are you going to punish Blitzen?" the elf asked Remus.

Remus seemed shocked for a second and then said, "Punish you? Why in the world would I punish you? You haven't done anything wrong."

"But I knocked you down and hurt you," the elf said as if Remus didn't understand what had happened.

"Not on purpose though, right?" Remus asked, and Blitzen nodded his head in response. "Then there is no reason for me to punish you," Remus concluded as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"But that is not what my old master did," Blitzen said looking like he was thoroughly confused.

" _Your old master? Dumbledore? No, I don't believe it. He is far too kind to do something like that,"_ Remus thought to himself. "Your old master? Do you mean Albus Dumbledore?" Remus asked the elf.

The elf quickly shook his head and said, "No, not Albus Dumbledore. He was not my old master."

"Who was your last master then?"

"Hogwarts," the elf replied matter-of-factly.

" _Merlin's Beard. I am getting nowhere with this creature,"_ Remus thought. Deciding to forget the matter, he said, "Never mind. Just know that I will not punish you like your last—"

"Old," the elf interjected.

Remus slightly perturbed continued, "Fine, your old master. I called you here to ask if you knew how to build a house for Harry and me."

The elf looked slightly thoughtful and then responded negatively

Remus looked slightly put out at realizing he had just wasted the last several minutes talking with the elf and said with a sigh, "Very well. If I need anything else, I will call for you. You are dismissed," he finished mimicking the way that the Potters ended requests when speaking with their elves. The elf immediately apparated away with a uncharacteristically loud crack.

As Remus returned to trying to solve the problem, he attempted some basic conjuration and transfiguration to create a suitable abode but found it beyond his capabilities as he was still exhausted from the previous night. Wondering how he had been able to perform the patronus charm easily that morning, he decided not to think about it and to be simply thankful that he did not have to bear Harry's cries because of those wonderful lemon drops that Blitzen had delivered.

Unable to come up with a solution to his problem, though he briefly entertained the idea of living in the Shrieking Shack for a short while, and reluctant to ask for Dumbledore's help again so quickly, Remus decided to live in one of the abandoned dens with Harry until an answer came to him. Having no other input than his own, this appeared to be a good course of action to the bachelor. Of course, anyone with an ounce of sense would have realized that a baby cannot last long in Scottish woods in November.

Thankfully, wizards are not normal. The magic that exists in their being staves off most forms of infections. It makes their constitutions hardier, their bones stronger, and gives them several other physical benefits. If Harry had been a muggle, though why a muggle would ever find themselves in the unique position of living with a pack of moon wolves is beyond the author of this story, he would have certainly caught an infection.

Fortunately for Remus and Harry, the first month passed without incident. During that time, Harry did what normal babies do namely crying, sleeping, eating, pooping, and he even started walking one day when Remus was visiting Alpha's den. He toddled over to Alpha, fell onto the wolf's fur, and then fell asleep. Remus watched the scene rather amused while Alpha seemed confused as to what he should do.

The next full moon finally arrived, and Remus was impatient for his transformation to occur. During the month, he had formed an idea of how to build his house but needed to ask for Alpha's permission to bring in an outsider. Knowing that this discussion would probably involve questions and conditions from Alpha, he decided to wait until they could properly communicate. His transformation came, and Alpha gave Remus his approval on the condition that the house was a short journey away from the dens. Remus quickly agreed to the condition and set to work the next day.

After a week or two of hard work, and Hagrid's assistance, Remus had built a simple home. It only had two rooms, but after Blitzen helped furnish the place, Remus was rather proud of it. Harry and Remus spent their nights in that house except for full moons, which Harry would spend in Alpha's den.

"Uncle Remus!" a voice shouted from the trees ahead.

Broken out of his recollections, Remus replied, "What is it Harry?"

Harry ran up to him, grabbed his hand to pull him along, and said, "Come on! Hurry up or you'll be late! We have to go see Alpha's cubs today. He finally said he would let us see them!" Alpha's mate had given birth to a litter of six around a week and a half ago. Remus allowed himself to be pulled by the eager boy, and, in a short amount of time, the pair made it to Alpha's den.

Harry was walking into the den when he suddenly stiffened and darted behind Remus' legs. Bewildered, Remus was about to ask why Harry had acted in this way when he saw Beta coming out of Alpha's den. The second-in-command had recovered rather well from their fight many years ago only having a slight limp in his back leg that had been broken during the fight. For a long time after the fight, Beta had been silently opposed to Harry and, by default, Remus' life among the moon wolf pack. Over the past few years, however, the two had become something akin to acquaintances. They were certainly nowhere near becoming companions as Remus and Alpha had become, but Beta did not seem to harbor the same resentment towards the pair that he had when they first arrived. Because of the lack of animosity, Remus could not understand Harry's apparent fear of Beta. For whenever the moon wolf was near, Harry either left the area quickly or hid behind one of the surrounding wolves or Remus.

Upon seeing the pair, Beta nodded his head and gave a grunt of acknowledgement, which Remus returned. Seemingly satisfied, the moon wolf wandered off in the direction of his own den. Feeling a slight shaking on his leg, Remus looked down to see Harry still clinging to his pant leg. Remus had foregone wizarding clothes a few years back in favor of the muggle counterparts. He slowly extracted himself from Harry's grasp and, kneeling down, tried to look Harry in the eyes. Harry refused to meet his gaze and stood with his arms crossed looking at the ground.

"Harry," Remus said softly. Harry did not respond to Remus' words.

"Harry," he said again softly, "Are you all right?"

Harry mumbled something incoherently.

"What did you say Harry?" Remus said for once deciding not to correct his speech.

". . . e scar. . . m. . .," Harry mumbled again a little louder than before.

"Did you say you were scared Harry? What is there to be afraid of?"

"Beta," Harry said still refusing to meet Harry's gaze.

"Look at me Harry," Remus said gently as he reached out to turn the boy's gaze to his. Harry resisted slightly and then met Remus' eyes. When Harry met his gaze, Remus was startled to see fear there. Opening his arms, Remus pulled Harry close to his chest. As he held him, Harry began to sniffle. Pulling back and looking down, Remus saw that tears were running down Harry's face. Overcome with emotion, Remus pulled Harry close to himself again and held him tightly as he cried.

Once Harry appeared to have calmed down, Remus asked, "Why does Beta scare you Harry?"

"He ha. . . e," Harry mumbled again.

"You have to speak more clearly Harry," Remus said finally correcting Harry.

"He hates me," Harry said.

" _What? Where did he get that idea?"_ Remus thought. "Why do you think he hates you?" Remus asked mildly perplexed.

Harry did not respond quickly. In fact, a minute or two passed without Harry responding at all. Concerned, Remus leaned back to look at Harry who was deep in thought. After a few more minutes, Harry said, "I don't know how to say it, but whenever he is around me, he seems very angry at me."

"Even just now?"

Thinking for a moment, Harry replied, "Yes, even now."

Replaying the short interaction in his mind, Remus was unable to discern any animosity from Beta towards either Harry or himself. However, remembering the fear that had been so apparent in Harry's eyes earlier, Remus knelt down before Harry, who had returned his gaze to the ground. He said, "Harry, I don't know why you think that Beta hates you, nor do I know if he actually does." At these words, Harry squirmed in Remus' arms. "But," he continued, "I believe you when you say that you are afraid, and if there is anything you don't need to be, Harry, it is afraid." Harry stopped squirming. "I want you to know that nothing will harm you. To get to you, it will have to go through Alpha, the rest of the wolf pack, and, most importantly, me," Remus finished resting a finger on his chest.

Harry looked up at Remus and said, "Really Uncle Remus?"

"Really Harry. I will always protect you in any way that I can." Seeing that Harry was starting to feel better, Remus continued with a tone of suggestion, "I hope you remember why we came here in the first place Harry."

Harry's face lit up with excitement, "The cubs!" he squealed as he darted through the entrance.

Remus stood up with a smile after Harry's response. He frowned, however, at what Harry had just revealed to him. _"I will have to speak with Alpha about this during the next full moon,"_ he decided. Storing away his thoughts to be summoned at another time, Remus ducked below the low archway and entered after Harry into Alpha's den.

Remus had to remain hunched over as he found a comfortable place to situate himself on the wall as the den was not tall enough to accommodate his size. It suited the wolves and seven-year-old boys perfectly, however, as Harry quickly, though showing an attempt at restraint, walked over to the new cubs. Seeing his approach, Alpha grunted in his direction to which Harry replied with an excited hello. Alpha gave another grunt, and Harry without slowing or shifting his gaze from the new cubs said, "He says 'hello' to you too."

Back when Harry had first begun speaking consistently, Remus, and the moon wolves, had been amazed to realize that Harry could understand the moon wolves' speech. Ever since that realization, he had served as a sort of translator between the two. Thankfully, the moon wolves could understand English. This allowed Remus and the wolves a form of communication, but any serious topic had to be reserved for a full moon. A strain, most certainly, but it could have been worse.

However, Harry's ability to understand the wolves puzzled him greatly. When asked, Harry simply responded, "I don't know how I understand it. I mean I hear them growl or snarl or some other noise that they make but in my head I hear their words as clearly as if you or I said them."

When Remus had asked Dumbledore about this during one of the updates he gave the wizard as to Harry's progress and explained Harry's response, the man simply smiled and with the customary twinkle in his eye said, "My that is very curious indeed." He then proceeded to pull a stone out from his desk and gave it to Remus. When Remus asked as to why he had given him the stone, Dumbledore responded, "When Harry is overwhelmed, simply have him focus on the stone. It will be a great help to him." Perplexed, but not in a manner that was unusual to Remus when he was around the headmaster, he accepted the stone and placed it in his trunk in the house for safekeeping.

"You want me to what?" Harry voice sounded throughout the den. Alpha gave a slow series of grunts. "Are you joking?" Harry asked. Alpha gave a short snarl at which Harry began to apologize saying, "It's not that I don't want to, definitely not, I just don't understand why you would choose me instead of Uncle Remus." Alpha gave another series of sounds. After he finished, Harry sat stunned. He slowly walked over to where Alpha was laying and gave the fierce leader of the moon wolves a hug. Alpha responded by turning his head and giving Harry's face a lick.

"Ewwww," Harry said as he squirmed away with a big smile on his face.

"What did he say Harry?" Remus asked knowing from past experiences that Harry often forgot to inform him of what the wolves said.

"He said that he wants me to name one of the cubs," Harry said. Alpha gave a short bark in affirmation. When Harry did not continue speaking, Alpha gave another bark. Harry reluctantly said, "He said that he wants me to name a cub because he thinks of me as one of his cubs, and that I should name one of them as he considers me part of his family."

Remus looked from Harry, who appeared happy if slightly embarrassed at having to say those words, to Alpha. Unable to fully express his gratitude because of Harry's presence, Remus said in a voice to low for Harry to hear, "Thank you." Alpha acknowledged Remus' gratitude with a nod.

Alpha's pack mate lay on the floor of the den quiet throughout the whole exchange. Her silence was not uncommon as she was of a rather quiet disposition, but after the exchange, she stirred and growled softly at Harry. Harry slowly approached her and looked at the cubs that lay around her. When after studying them for a few minutes, where the studying amounted to little more than fondly stroking the furry masses, Harry eventually settled on the smallest pup.

It was a tiny thing, and after closer observation appeared to be female. Harry did not pick her up but was simply content with running his hands through her furry hide. After sitting in that manner for a rather long time, Harry looked up at Alpha. "I know what I am going to name her," he said. Alpha grunted what Remus assumed to be a question in response. Harry said, "I am going to name her after my mother. I am going to name her Lily." Alpha let out a happy bark, which his pack mate mirrored indicating that they had approved of her name.

As Harry sat there running his hands through Lily's fur, she gave a little snort and rolled over. The pup gave a tiny yawn and then snuggled up against Harry's hand. Harry appeared surprised and then a tender smile materialized on his face. Enraptured with Lily, Harry was unaware of Remus' gaze. Although if he were to look, he would see a mixture of pride and love mingled on Remus' face. They stayed in that position for a long time Harry content to watch Lily, and Remus content to watch Harry.

When Remus suddenly shivered, he was broken from his reverie. Glancing outside, he saw that the sun had long fallen and that the moon, thankfully not full, had already beginning its ascent into the sky. Quietly, so as not to disturb the rest of the den that had fallen asleep, he said, "Harry, it's time to return home." Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes in response. Eventually the two made their way outside at which point Harry leaned heavily onto Remus' side. Picking Harry up, Remus began the walk back to their home.

Harry had fallen asleep long before they reached the house so Remus tucked him into his bed as gently as he could so as not to wake him. Brushing back his hair, Remus placed a gentle kiss on Harry's forehead and whispered, "Good night Harry."

Retiring to the other room, Remus lit a small candle and reached into his trunk. He pulled out his father's journal, as he often did, and read through the entries of when Remus had been a young boy. _"If only you were here now dad,"_ Remus thought, _"If only you could see that this curse has brought me the family you feared that I would never have."_ As Remus sat at the table, a few tears trickled down his face and fell on the open journal. Soon, he began to weep silently under the light of candle and moon. After his tears subsided, he returned the journal to his chest. He checked on Harry once more only to find a peaceful smile resting on the boy's face. Unsure of why he needed to check on Harry as he always did before he fell asleep but as always undeniably soothed once assuring that Harry was safe, Remus retired to his bed and allowed the land of dreams to overtake his thoughts.


End file.
